Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry likes his team's offense, even if some of the data points don't look all that great at this juncture in the 2025-26 season.
Following the Orange's relatively uninspiring 76-62 victory over second-year Division I program Mercyhurst at the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday night, Autry used part of his post-game press conference to defend his squad's offense.
“There's nothing wrong with our offense," Autry said. He added, “We have a great balance offensively. The one place that we have had some issues, and some struggles with, is the free-throw line. That's improving."
Autry sounded a tad defensive in his post-game presser. It's no big deal, and the 'Cuse is 7-4 overall after beating Mercyhurst. The Orange eyes a 9-4 non-conference mark before opening up Atlantic Coast Conference play on New Year's Eve at home against Clemson.
To be fair, sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman has missed the past seven contests with a lower-body injury. He had been leading the 'Cuse in scoring, at 17.8 points per game, before suffering this injury. When Freeman will return to the court is anybody's guess.
So is Syracuse basketball's offense good, bad or something in between?
Autry is correct in that if the Orange could up its free-throw shooting percentage, the team could average nearly 80 points per contest, as opposed to the current 72.9 points. Syracuse basketball made 12-of-16 from the charity stripe against Mercyhurst, good for 75 percent.
But for the entire 2025-26 campaign, the 'Cuse is making just 58 percent from the free-throw line, which translates to an average of about 12.5-of-21.6 attempts per game. Yes, if Syracuse basketball can get that percentage closer to 70-75 percent, that will greatly help.
However, as a group, the Orange is hitting on a mere 30.0 percent from beyond the arc. It is making 46.3 percent from the field as a whole, which is fine, but nothing spectacular. Let's see what Syracuse basketball's offense looks like if, or when, Freeman returns.
In Autry's defense - no pun intended - if the 'Cuse was better from the free-throw line, it likely would have beaten Houston at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, as well as Hofstra on the Hill last weekend. Should that have occurred, Syracuse basketball would be aiming for an 11-2 non-conference record, rather than 9-4.
Still, when I wrote this article, KenPom had the Orange at No. 118 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. The 'Cuse, which was awful on defense last season, is currently No. 44 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Within the ACC, the Orange's metrics, such as points per game and its shooting percentages from the field, downtown and the free-throw line, are poor. There's no other way to slice it. Where this team thrives is scoring out in transition, whether off a defensive rebound or an opponent's turnover.
The 'Cuse, in its half-court offense, often looks stagnant. There is not a lot of ball movement and player movement, in many cases. The flow simply isn't there, and there's too much iso ball. Now, this doesn't mean that 'Cuse is dreadful on offense.
And the program's much-improved defense is encouraging. If Syracuse basketball can improve its shooting percentages from 3-point land and the charity stripe some, that would be huge. The Orange also has to outpace its foes by a lot in fast-break points and points off turnovers.
When Autry maintained in his post-game presser that "there’s nothing wrong with our offense," media members and fans, at least some of them, likely rolled their eyes. The Syracuse basketball head coach added that he believes his roster "has the ingredients" to put it all together and have a successful season.
Social media and chat rooms are ablaze with calls for Syracuse athletics officials to fire Autry. That's shortsighted. Until Freeman comes back, we don't know what this team can accomplish. But the offense needs work, even if Autry disagrees.